MesaZona > Table of Contents : Here's The Menu. Enjoy

Sunday, June 25, 2017

The Queen's Speech.

Saturday, June 24, 2017

LDS Still Enforce LGBTQ Discrimination In The Right To Free Speech

This June 2017 in the 21st Century, as cities and towns around the United States mark Pride Month, Mormon Church Elders, Presidents and Bishops [yes they conflate governing and politics in their inner circles] responsible for administrating local wards and stakes continue to enforce their 19th Century Made-in-America revelations calling themselves "Latter-Day Saints" where discrimination is rampant getting called-out time-and-time again.

At an October 2010 LDS General Conference in a speech called "Pride and the Priesthood" , Dieter F. Uchtdorf , Second Counselor in the First Presidency said this

"Pride is a deadly cancer. It is a gateway sin that leads to a host of other human weaknesses. In fact, it could be said that every other sin is, in essence, a manifestation of pride."

WHOA! Stop right there

One more recent example this year is the decision by The Quorum of The Twelve Elders to dis-connect LDS sponsorship from The Boy Scouts of America; otherwise they would have to change their practice of discriminating against "gay" youth who wanted to join the troops in their churches, wards and stakes.

There are, in addition, ongoing issues with LDS religion-based privately-owned charter schools receiving funds for public education in education.
Many real estate developers here in Mesa usually put up cookie-cutter churches before schools. There as lingering questions as well here in government and politics where adherents to the Mormon Church - even elected officials have held the office of Bishop or President in LDS stakes/wards, and now here's an issue of "free speech" getting attention from AP reporter Brady McCombs in this report:

Mormon Girl Reveals She's Gay at Church and Leaders Cut Her Microphone

Brady McCombs / AP

8:56 AM

(SALT LAKE CITY) — A video of a young Mormon girl revealing to her congregation that she is lesbian and still loved by God — before her microphone is turned off by local church leaders — is sparking a new round of discussions about how the religion handles LGBT issues.

McCombs goes on to write in a fair, balanced and informed manner, in some of these extracts from his published article on Time [LINK to entire report is available below]

". . . The Mormon religion is one of many conservative faith groups upholding theological opposition to same-sex relationships amid widespread social acceptance and the U.S. Supreme Court's decision legalizing gay marriage. At the same time, the Mormon church is trying to foster an empathetic stance toward LGBT people. . .

"I do not choose to be this way and this is not a fad," Savannah said on May 7. "I cannot make someone else gay ... I believe that God wants us to treat each other with kindness, even if people are different, especially if they are different."

Her microphone was muted after about two minutes — shortly after she said she's not a "horrible sinner" and that she someday hopes to have a partner, get married and have a family. She turned around to listen to something a man in a suit told her and then was walked down from the pulpit. . .

Here's a YouTube video upload

RADICAL THINKING? A Clean & Healthy Environment = A Human Right

Trying to chill-out indoors and stay mellow here in Mesa, Arizona Maricopa County Arizona USA - smack dab in high excessive heat and more than 28 HPAs [high ozone pollution alerts] when Summer just officially started - my ears perked up hearing this real news report.

What report?
From Paris, France where you might remember that French Revolution of 1776 if you learned anything in history class...
It changed the European and Western worlds
An unlikely cast of characters including ex-Mr. Olympia body-builder/movie star Arnold "The Terminator" Schwarzenegger [former governator of California], former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg and Master-Minder of The Bloomberg Worldwide News/Financial Empire and 30-something newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron promised on Saturday to play an active role in a campaign aimed at securing a global pact to protect the human right to a clean and healthy environment.
This report from Reuters spells it all out
France's Macron to back push for global environment rights pact
Macron promised on Saturday to play an active role in a campaign aimed at securing a global pact to protect the human right to a clean and healthy environment.
He made the pledge at a meeting at Sorbonne University where politicians, legal experts and activists presented him with draft proposals for such a pact.
Macron has been pushing to maintain momentum generated by a global agreement to combat climate change reached in Paris in 2015, after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out, drawing condemnation from other leaders.

"On the basis of this draft proposal, I pledge to act ...so that the work initiated continues, so that we reach a text, convince our partners, place these efforts under the aegis of the U.N ... and from September have the basis of a world environment pact," Macron told his audience.

The pact should eventually be put to the United Nations for adoption and impose legally-binding obligations on signatory states, its drafters - comprising legal experts from several countries - have said.
Attendees at the Sorbonne included former California governor turned green activist Arnold Schwarzenegger and former United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon. It was chaired by former prime minister Laurent Fabius, who chaired the 2015 conference on climate change.

London's The Independent UK reported this
"Trump's climate change denial is 'embarrassing', says Mike Bloomberg"
Link > http://www.independent.co.uk
In the latest video - viewed nearly 1.5 million times - Mr Schwarzenegger said that he and Mr Macron had been “talking about environmental issues and a green future” together. . . To repeat again

Mr Macron has also promised to play an active role in a campaign aimed at securing a global pact to protect the human right to a clean and healthy environment
And actor-activist Leonard DeCaprio has been saying this for years

Don't Get Over-Exposed To Excessive Heat, but DO ENJOY Cool Inside Places Here Today In The New Under-Rated Urban DTMesa

So much to do - how much time DO U have?
avoid driving if you can and take fast, efficient fully-efficient, fast/air-conditioned Valley Metro Light Rail to downtown Mesa. Two platform destinations downtown to get here. Within ten minutes walking-time to each other there's at least three free fun things to do, all within 10 minutes of a walk-around relay between them + places to eat and stay hydrated with refreshing beverages and two craft-beer emporiums.
[Special Downtown Summer Art Market today peeking @ U]

Start off with arts if you want - The Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum is steps away from the Center/Main Street Valley Metro Light Rail Station - pause and enjoy the sounds from flowing water features before free admission to three concurrent exhibitions called FLOURISH. Lost Dutchman Coffee Roasters - and smoothies - are steps back on the NWC of Center & Main Streets, Margaritas is close by ... on the other side of Main is great Thai food @ Nunthaporn's.

Or head north to the side of City Hall Plaza one block to the Mesa Main Public Library at 64 E 1st Street where there's a BIG BOOK SALE today - pulp fiction and non-fiction, hardcover and paper-back, magazines and sets of books, audio books, DVDs, CDs, vinyl records and more to browse through and buy.Vending machines for cold beverages inside in air-conditioned comfort.
Funds from the sale of 'used books' are used to start and support programs and services for the public... and it's less than 10 minutes away to SW Herb Shop on Center Street.

Bringing along the family with kids? There's an admission fee for the IDEA Museum on Robson Street, just 2 blocks from the Country Club/Main light rail platform. Antiques u like?
Stop by Michelle's Vintage Market Place on the west side of Robson just above Main Street where u and the kids and family can grab a sandwich at Worth Take-Away ... For those without kids who need a good brew there's Oro Brewery almost right next door.
Spectator sports fans?

Large screens available at most bars and breweries - drinks and eats.

Pizza lovers? Greek Salad. Chicken Wings. Great People.
Family-owned
Where? >>> QUEENS PIZZERIA & CAFE

Wander around the New Urban DTMesa and you can discover for yourself more of the small wonders right here - I'll leave it to you to find out.

Hydration Campaign Is A Good Thing, but It's a Latter-Day Intervention To Deal With "Those Less Fortunate"

Back on 05 June 2017 the City of Mesa's Newsroom put out this press release: Link > http://www.mesanow.org
Mesa Hydration Donation Campaign underway to save lives
The Mesa Hydration Donation campaign is way more than "a stark reminder of the dangers of summer heat in Arizona, which first responders encounter daily. . . "

Any reasonable person might ask why the city is last-to-respond to provide water to "save lives" in this excessive summer heat when the City of Mesa hasn't first succeeded to step-up early-on "to help people in need" for basic things like shelter way before 911 first-responders have to deal with consequence of those less fortunate who are the homeless and the vulnerable ...

In the press release Mesa Mayor John Giles is quoted as saying "The campaign is a life saver for the less fortunate during the hot summer months. . . "

Don't get me wrong, there are some good things that did happen here in Mesa, like the opening of La Mesita a couple of years ago that met a lot of resistance and opposition from a group in West Mesa. Nonetheless cooler heads prevailed with a lot of help from LISC and other community support partners. There has been a recent expansion to meet a growing and under-served need and demand for affordable housing with some here in Mesa still opposing solutions, housing, services and resources for those "less fortunate"

Why hasn't his leadership in this city exercised 'zero- " especially for those who are unsheltered. Looks like it has now turned into an issue of public safety when Mesa Fire and Medical Deputy Chief and Public Information Officer Forrest Smith said. "Without donations of water, the outcomes of our emergency responses to cases of dehydration, heat exhaustion or heat stroke would be much worse." WHY WAIT FOR AN EMERGENCY?

DEHYDRATION is the last sign of the failure of the city to meet the basic needs of people they call less fortunate, vulnerable and homeless.

Yes it is a great life-saving cause.

The campaign kickoff event included a donation of 19 pallets, or 38,304 bottles of water from Wal-Mart, which will be matched by Superstition Springs Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram; a donation of two pallets, or 3,840 bottles of water from Jackson White law firm of Mesa and a donation of 114 cases or 2,736 bottles of water from Landings Credit Union in Mesa.

Friday, June 23, 2017

Tell John McCain & Jeff Flake > Listen To Your Constituents

US Conference of Mayors Miami 2017 Jun3 23-26 2017

85th Annual Meeting

June 23-26, 2017 in Miami Beach

Link > https://www.usmayors.org/meetings/85th-annual-meeting/

The first day of #uscm2017 is coming to a close for the evening. Join us again tomorrow morning for day two of the 85th Annual Meeting.

USCM Releases Latest Metro Economies Report

Link > https://www.usmayors.org/
Mayors See Infrastructure Investment As Key To Future As U.S. Metros Lead Nation’s Job Growth, But Many Still Lag Behind
Issued during Infrastructure Week in Washington, D.C., the mayors’ report also points to infrastructure spending as an economic tool that holds the promise of generating job growth across these metros. Such investment, if funneled directly to metro regions, can create jobs faster, relieve congestion, decrease costs to businesses and increase productivity—all of which further accelerates growth. The entire report and its key findings can be found here.
“Some of the oldest infrastructure is in the Rust Belt metros, which our data show have lagged the national recovery and expansion. And while infrastructure investment is not a cure-all, it can provide cities a “shot in the arm” to help jumpstart their local economies,” said U.S. Conference of Mayors President Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.
But increased infrastructure spending is also needed in high growth areas. The report’s findings project that over the next 30 years, the U.S. metro population will grow by 66.7 million people, almost all of the nation’s total population growth. By 2047, 72 metros will have population exceeding 1 million, compared to only 53 in 2016. In addition, five metros will have over 10 million people by 2047 – whereas only 2 currently meet that benchmark. And as the metro areas grow, so will traffic congestion.
U.S. metros are already the most congested areas in the country. In fact, from 2013 to 2014, 95 of the nation’s largest 100 metros saw increased traffic congestion, up from 61 from 2012 to 2013. The price tag associated with this congestion, which is the value of wasted time and fuel, is estimated at $160 billion in 2014 for U.S. urban areas, or $960 per commuter.
Mayors maintain that infrastructure investment in roads, rails, bridges and other forms of transportation will help relieve the bottlenecks impeding economic expansion, noting for example, the 4.8 billion hours of travel delay . . . Go to Link to read entire press release

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Live Video from the 85th Annual Meeting Go here > https://www.usmayors.org/

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La Mesita on Main Street Mesa AZ

Mesa Mayor John Giles is attending the conference officially listed as being on the Standing Committee and

Task Force for Community Development and Housing

Setti D. Warren, Newton, MA, Chair
Jorge O. Elorza, Providence, RI, Vice Chair
Ed Pawlowski, Allentown, PA, Vice Chair
John Giles, Mesa, AZ, Vice Chair for Workforce Housing

Staff Contact: Eugene Lowe

El Rancho del Arte/Community Development Partners

That's a good thing - and a challenge for the mayor - a Task Force is created by the President of the Conference to address individual issues requiring the immediate attention of a select group of mayors.

Task Force recommendations are submitted to the organization as a whole and generally serve as the basis for Conference policy positions.

[A Task Force is not intended to serve as a permanent body within the organization. When a Task Force mission is completed, the issue it addressed usually is assigned to a permanent Standing Committee for continued monitoring; and the Task Force is disbanded.]

About the Conference

The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,408 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor.

Conference members speak with a united voice on organizational policies and goals. Mayors contribute to the development of national urban policy by serving on one or more of the conference’s standing committees. Conference policies and programs are developed and guided by an Executive Committee and Advisory Board, as well as the standing committees and task forces which are formed to meet changing needs.
During the Conference’s Annual Meeting in June, standing committees recommend policy positions they believe should be adopted by the organization. At this time, every member attending the annual meeting is given the opportunity to discuss and then vote on each policy resolution. Each city, represented by its mayor, casts one vote.
The policy positions adopted at the annual meeting collectively represent the views of the nation’s mayors and are distributed to the President of the United States and Congress.
In addition to the ongoing work of the Conference’s standing committees, mayors are organized into task forces to examine and act on issues that demand special attention such as civic innovation, exports, hunger and homelessness, and brownfields.

Issues